A Scene from ‘Blue Valentine’

— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM —

As far as getting you interested in a film, the clip for “Blue Valentine” had me on the edge of my seat. It didn’t have any explosions or face punching, but in those 70 seconds, I was concerned for the characters and wanted to continue with the story.

“Blue Valentine” tells the story of a couple throughout different periods of their life. The clip below is probably from a rough patch in the relationship. While trying to get information out of his girlfriend, Dean (Ryan Gosling) threatens to jump off of a bridge. His girlfriend, Cindy (Michelle Williams), will not give up the information, but begs him to stop climbing the pedestrian fence. The clip ends without Dean getting off the fence or Cindy giving up her information and like that I’m drawn in. What information does Dean want from Cindy? Would he really risk his life for that information?

“Blue Valentine” premiered at Sundance and luckily, the Weinstein Company picked it up, so my questions will be answered eventually. “Blue Valentine,” which will bow in theaters Dec. 31, has already received good reviews, mainly for Williams and Gosling’s performances. The movie will have to be pretty heavy on the performances to make up for the handheld camera and low production quality.